40 Hours on South Padre Island(-ish)

The beach, of course. The water is very blue and just warm enough to feel good in July, the sand is pale and soft, and the sun is HOT!

The nightlife... a stretch of several clubs on the "Texas" side of the island seemed to be the best place to go. Lots of people, good music, and plenty of parking. Look for the well-lit bungee tower near Louie's Backyard and you're there.

Quick Tips:

Make sure you wear sunscreen!! The sun down there is much stronger than anywhere I've been. Even if you don't burn easily.

Put sunscreen on BEFORE you go to the beach. The sand is very fine and if there is any wind at all, the sand is all over you. Sand + Trying to apply sunscreen is not fun.

Don't go visit Mexico. Matamoras is the "poorest border town" and there isn't much to see. There wasn't a real "market" area that we could find. Garcia's was the closest thing, and although we did have fun there, it wasn't really worth the walk into Mexico.

Best Way To Get Around:

The island is small (3 miles x 1 mile), so walking would be possible. There are crosswalks at every intersection, making it pretty easy to get around.

However, most SPI visitors are from Texas, so most of them drive down there. We had flown, so we rented a car, and it was really nice to have. It enabled us to drive and check out the island in the AC.

I didn't see too many cabs, but there were little open-air 2-door motor vehicles for rent all over the island. There were even designated lanes for them to drive in.

Arriving at the new 3-story hotel at 1 AM, the first thing we noticed was a large sign outside advertising "Largest rooms on the island."

After checking in at our discount rate of $89/night, we went up to our room on the third floor. Now, with our discount rate came a small stipulation: One King bed, 3 girls. We knew that when making the reservation and figured we could handle it (and we did just fine).

Our room happened to be shortened by the elevator shaft (one room per floor is this way), but was still rather large, and included a long hallway, large bathroom, TV, alarm clock, a table with chairs, a microwave, and refrigerator. We had a balcony that overlooked a street, but to our left and right were the ocean, and the water on the "Texas side" of the island (very pretty).

The hotel is situated in the middle of the island, making it about 2 blocks from the beach. There is also a very nice pool and hot tub open 11-11 every day. A Free Continental Breakfast is also served daily from 6:30am-9:30am.

I would definitely stay here if I came to Padre again. The hotel is centrally located to the beach, restaurants, shopping, and nightclubs and is very clean, and quiet at night. The rooms were nicely priced, very large, and the fridge was a nice surprise that we got a lot of use out of.

The main cluster of bars in South Padre are on the 2300 block of Laguna Blvd. With a line outside, and the loud music from the inside, Louie's backyard looked like the most popular. Plenty of parking is available out in front of the bars, but it is within walking distance of several of the hotels. There is also a free bus available during Spring Break, called the "Whammy Liner" that runs from 7:30 PM to 3 AM. Here's a map of the route.

To find Louie's, look for the spotlighted Bungee Tower. It can be spotted from almost anywhere on the island. Bungee jumping goes on all night at what claims to be "the largest entertainment center in the city." During Spring Break, Louie's also offers live concerts, comedy acts, and the Miss Hawaiian Topic Bikini Pageant.

After standing in line for about 10 minutes, we paid the $5 cover and walked into open-air the downstairs bar. With lots of tables, and a big bar in center, people were mainly down here to talk and drink. We grabbed a drink (I got a huge $9 hurricane in a keepable plastic cup - It was fruity and didn't taste like it had much alcohol in it, but I think it had quite a bit) and headed up the stairs where the music was coming from.

Upstairs is where all the craziness starts. It was PACKED with people. For a random weekend in the summer, I was really surprised. I can only imagine what this place is like on Spring Break. It was hot, the music was loud, and the dance floor & stage was packed with tanned 20-somethings getting their groove on, glistening with sweat. On the outskirts of the dance floor there are a bunch of tables and a bar. Everything is open to the elements (i.e. In July - the heat & humidity) and the whole place overlooks the bay.

Several drinks later (having switched to $9 extra large rum & cokes) and after dancing for a long time to the hip-hop and pop music, we were drenched in sweat. Heading off the dance floor, we found heaven in the form of an airconditioned room with the bathrooms and lots of booths and 50s decor. I'm guessing this is the indoor part of the restaurant. There was also a bar in there, but it was closed.

In Texas, all bars & clubs close by 2 AM. We closed the place down and really enjoyed dancing all night, even if we were hot and sweaty.